500 solar-powered street food carts are coming to NYC

You might be grabbing your next pretzel or hot dog from an eco-friendly food cart if MOVE Systems gets its way. The start-up has been working with the NYC City Council on plans to provide 500 new energy-efficient food carts to street food vendors around the city. The company’s sleek MRV100 Hybrid cart comes equipped with solar power, rechargeable batteries, plug-in hybrid technology and alternative fuel hookups.

A beloved staple in many New Yorkers’ diets, street food has become even more popular over the last few years. Currently, there are almost 8,000 food trucks in NYC, and most vendors use propane tanks to cook their street fare. However, the highly combustible fuel is far from the greenest or safest form of heating.

MOVE Systems says that its goal is to eliminate the city’s need for propane tanks and polluting generators by replacing old street carts with their unique hybrid energy system. According to a recent report by Energy Vision, each MRV100 cart reduces climate change-causing gases by 60% and smog-causing NOx pollution by 95%. Therefore, using the new MOVE System carts will result in the “pollution equivalent” of taking nearly 200 cars off the road.

“I’m thrilled that we can support the food cart entrepreneurs – many of whom are our veterans – while making tangible environmental and safety improvements throughout our communities. MOVE is pleased to join the City Council and New York street vendors to introduce a new fleet of food carts that deliver more varied cuisine in a cleaner and safer environment,” said James Meeks, President and CEO of MOVE Systems.

The stylish, ten-foot-high, five-by-eight-foot food carts can be built out to accommodate different types of cooking. As part of the pilot program, which is paid for by donations and private partnerships, 100 carts will be reserved for veterans and disabled vendors.